Fisker Karma's beautiful rear lines.

First a brief technical overview. Its branded EVer- an Electric Vehicle with extended range. The engine is a 2.0 litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol that outputs 257bhp which drives a generator which creates electricity for two drive motors delivering a combined 210kw.

Whenever possible the car is powered by its batteries which can be fully charged from a normal power outlet in just eight hours. Fisker believes most customers will travel mostly between charge points and will only need to fuel the petrol tank three times a year!

The resulting performance is said to be very impressive for a car that will have to take on the might of the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and the likes.

All that technical innovation and creativity is wrapped by a beautifully styled outer body which would not be out of place in Ferris Beuller’s dad’s garage. There may be some aspects not to peoples taste (such as the moustache like grille) but Fisker has got so many things right that these can be forgiven as adding the Karma’s character.

Its best angles are its side on silhouette, rear and rear three quarter views. Bulging wheel arches, short over hangs, long wheel base and long bonnet give an American muscle car feel to this American based company. The head designer, Henrik Fisker, styled the Aston Martin Vantage, DB9 and BMW Z8, all of which you can see in the Karma. The sculpted lines of the rear wheel arch and roofline meet in beautiful harmony, by far it’s most alluring aspect.

At approx. £100k, it is well priced alongside its less green competitors.

In the early days, I found both in my inexperience and eagerness I would deliver multiple solutions, all of which I felt could work.In fact, presenting the client with an endless array of options show that you as the designer have not done your job correctly.  If the project is correctly specified, objectives clearly defined, research thoroughly carried out, your proposed solution(s) should be close if not bang on the money.

However, this confidence only comes with experience, both unsuccessful and successful.

Clients only need to see a limited number of solutions, I try to present one at best, three at the most. Creating a successful solution involves clear and concise specification, thorough research and a creative spark that ignites the idea. In most cases, if these are all present, your client will be sold at option number one.